Texas Hotel Worker Gets $13K in Back Pay

Hotel housekeeper Iris Castro lives on a budget that barely makes ends meet. When her aging parents’ ill health required medication, she couldn’t afford to send money home to her native Honduras. Unable to return home, she was left to mourn their deaths and saddened by her inability to help pay for their care.

“My dad suffered from a heart condition and was bed ridden for about a year. He passed away two years ago. My mother was also sick and passed away a year ago. I wasn’t able to be there for them,” explained Iris while in tears.

What’s worse, Iris is one of hundreds of low-wage workers in Southeast Texas’ hotel industry whose hard work doesn’t always equal fair pay. An investigation by the Clear Lake District Office of the department’s Wage and Hour Division found that Castro’s employer – Baymont Inn of Galveston – failed to pay her overtime and, as a result, owes her $13,000 in back wages and liquidated damages. That’s more than half her yearly income of roughly $20,000.

While nothing can make up for the emotional pain she has suffered, she is thankful to be receiving the back wages and plans to use them to secure a more stable financial future by paying off debt.

Unfortunately, we’ve heard similar stories from many workers in the Houston area which, since 2014, has welcomed nearly 15 million tourists. In February 2017, the city will host Super Bowl LI.

In fiscal year 2016, our investigations of area employers in the hotel industry found employees working off the clock, not being paid time-and-one-half for overtime hours and not getting paid for mandatory training time. Investigators also found employers violating child labor regulations that restrict the hours minors may work.

The Baymont Inn was just one of many recognizable hospitality brands that drew our attention. In Galveston, we found violations at Baymont Inn, Super 8 and Travelodge Hotel locations. At the Baymont Inn and Super 8 hotels, 10 housekeepers and maintenance workers received approximately $103,000 in back wages and liquidated damages. At a Galveston Travelodge Hotel, 11 housekeepers, front desk and maintenance workers received nearly $20,000 in back wages and liquidated damages.

In all, 41 investigations will recover back wages and assess liquidated damages totaling $285,000 for 125 workers. Like Iris, the amounts some of them receive will represent more than half a year’s wages.

We will continue to expand outreach, education, and enforcement in the industry to more cities and states in the Southwest and beyond to ensure workers like Iris receive the wages they’re owed for their hard work.

If you are concerned about your company’s pay practices or you are an employer who wants to be sure you are complying with the law, learn more on the Wage and Hour Division’s website or by calling 1-866-4-US-WAGE (1-866-487-9243). You also can check to see if back wages are being held for you as the result of an investigation by using the online tool, Workers Owed Wages.

Editor’s note: The DOL Working for You series highlights the Labor Department’s programs in action. View other posts in the series here.

Betty Campbell is the Wage and Hour Division’s administrator in the Southwest.